See the Slide Show running below!

    Greetings from the Paper Gator Crew!  
    Every filled dumpster earns us $$$ from BPV Environmental in Byron Center.  The material is used for lawn mulch and pet products.  More information is available on request.  The dumpster with the gator on it may take: newspaper, office paper, junk mail, catalogs, phonebooks, construction paper, damaged books and more.  It is NOT meant for cardboard or plastic bags!
    There are five seventh grade students who help get the classroom recycled paper out to the “Gator” each week, and I’m sure many more elementary students who faithfully fill the “Gator” at their building.  There is also a committee of 8 students at the Middle School who meet as needed to make decisions about how to use the money generated by the “Gator.”
    This activity has been a great success.  At one point this fall we had nearly $3000.00 in the fund ready to distribute.  The “Gator” money has been used to help many people close by and far away.  Several students have gone through a process of requesting money to provide things for people they would be helping on mission trips.  It is great to see students getting involved themselves.  Our most recent activity, (Nov. 2008) was to help the Kids Food Basket of Grand Rapids.  Mr. Netz has also been able to use the money for families in our own school community who have developed needs in the difficult economy.  
    Thank You so much for contributing your scrap paper to the “Gator” here at DCS.  It is great to be a blessing to so many people.  It is fun to turn garbage into cash and then bless people with those gifts.  I know there are “gators” all over town now and so many places to share even our scraps.  I am sure any of those organizations are using the revenue from their “Gators” for wonderful causes so spread it around.  We will continue using whatever we get to benefit those in and around DCS.
    Consider creating a bin to collect your own newspaper and junk mail to bring to school?    Please feel free to use the “Green Gator Dumpsters” at either DCS building and drop off your paper anytime day or night.  Trash dumpsters are near each gator so all plastic bags or boxes the papers were collected in may be easily disposed of as well.? Thanks for your help in this venture.
    If there are questions about this program please direct them to
Alan Sloterbeek at asloterbeek@duttonchristianschool.org